Metal cleat



1". or boards afndj halviii'g The invention forscuri flodrs,' roofs ofbiiildings Z betms' r purlinsi and more 15' rti ularly' to "a cleat or-tiip of' tl'ii's lrind especiall a" pted for secure tongueanagrotvetoarusb slep'ei'st stru'ci prong adaptedto bedriven into the edge of the adjacent 'woode'n'lper or board just belowthe,

tongue therein. 7 g

. A further object is to provide a. metal cleat or clip of this character having an angular flange located at the end. of the tapered recess and adapted to be bent downward to engage the side of the metal purlin when in use.

The above and other objects maybe attained by constructing the improved metal cleatcor clip in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which V Figure 1 is a fragmentary'sectional elevation of the upper portion of a structural metal I-beam and portions of two bridge floor boards or sleepers showing the improved metal clip or cleat mounted upon one flange of the I-beam for securing thefloor boards thereto;

Fig. 2, a section taken as on the line 22,'

Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a detached perspective view of the im proved metal cleat or clip shown in Figs. land 2;

Fig. 4, a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modifled form of cleat used for attaching tongue and groove roofing boards and the like to metal purlins of channel construction; and 1 Fig. 5, a detached perspective view of the form of metal cleat or clip shown in Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, a construction of the improved metal cleat or clip is illustrated especially adapted for attaching wooden sleepers or bridge flooring boards to I-beams or similar structural members indicated generally by the numeral 10 and provided at their upper ends with tapered flanges 11. The floorboards or sleepers are of the tongue and groove variety indicated generally by the numera1 12, each board having a usual groove 13 ex-.

s A right aifi g le received'iii -tli otve 13} of the d b'oardb s lee 2,. o I v filpon theopposite' 'side of thecle' t'fiom the 'fia es" 1'! is provided an integral sharpened'prong 18 preferably of triangular shape as best shown in Fig. 3, this prong being formed by stamping the same from the body portion of the cleat justbelow the flange 1'7, leaving the substantially triangular opening 19 in the'cleat. These cleats or.

clips are made both right-handed and left-hand:

ed, that is instead of forming the tapered' recess 16 in the right-hand edge of the cleat as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a left-hand cleat may be made by forming the tapered recess 16 in the left side of the cleat so that alternate cleats may be located upon. oppositesides of the I-beams to prevent longitudinal movement of the floor boardsacross the I-beams.

In assembling the flooring, as eachboard is placed in position, a cleat or clip 15 is wedged upon one flange of the I-beam'and driven against the tongue edge of the board, the sharpened prong 18 being driven into the board just beneath the tongue 14 thereof, with the angular flange 17 located against the underside of the tongue. The next board is then placed in position as shown in Fig. l, the groove 13 thereof receiving the tongue 14 of the other board and'the flange 17 of the cleat. With this construction no nails are required to securely'attach the floor boards or sleepers to the beams and none of the attaching means is visible from the top of the flooring.

By forming the cleats or clips in lefts and rights so that they may engage opposite flanges of each I-beamand by providing a suflicientnumber of cleats throughout the flooring, itwill be seen that the floor boards or sleepers are firmly'attachedto movementof the floor boards upon prevented. e

As will be obvious from the drawing, eachclip sow engages two adjacent floor boards or sleepers; 'the prong 18 engaging the tongue side of one board and the angular flange 1'7 engaging the groove of the next adjacentboard so that both boards are firmly attached to the I-beam at this point.

In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown a form of the invention especially adapted for attaching tongue and groove roofing boards to structural channel purlins. In this case the roofing boards are of much lighter construction. than t aridge flooring shown in Rigs. Landl'gaud 'the'metal vcleats or clips indicated generally at 15a may therefore be smaller and of lighter material.

Each of the cleats 15a is provided with a tapered recess 16a adapted to tightly fit upon thefiiipper" tapered flange 11a of one of the structurall phan nel purlins 10a and is provided at its upp'eiedge with the right angle flangznliia adaptedt to lie received within the groove 13a of one of the roof-.

ing boards 12a and has the sharpened prong" 1'80; p m r drm qn t e; 91 b the flw's li emt-fiden fl eam n m e si d eJ l d Qnt bea ns w w th en l ere ie-fli -eame-z e en a shown in Fig. 1. f f ,lfI'he cleat leads-provided 'yvith an extension' zo extending; beyond channelnpurlin 10a and. having the nsu ates filaedent s im' b en downwardagainst the bacle urfacef ofi the purlin as h w m 2 i l-fie sie eack n th l tagainsf a er l: mev mentse e s h m f holding each roofingiboard againstlongitudinal ement w t re lr a e th a url I 1.: In combination structural metaljinemw ber,,;ha ing-. a tape edmnae. to gue and-gr ove;

wooden-members extendin acm efi sel and a sheet metal cleat having a tapered recess for tightly fitting upon the flange, an angular flange at the top of said cleat for engagement in the groove of one of the wooden members the width of said angular flange being less than the depth of'said groove, and an integral sharp prong upon the cleat oppositely disposed to said angular flange for-engaging below the tongue of the adjacent wooden member.

2. In combination with as-tr ucturalr metal memher having a tapered fiangqgtongue'aridgroove wooden members extending across the flange,

" and a sheet metal cleat having a tapered recess ior tightly fitting upon the flange, an angular fl'ange'at the top ofsaid cleat for engagement in the-groove of-;-one of the wooden members, an

integral sharp prong upon the cleat for engaging "beiow'tne otthe adjacent wooden member,

and means upon the cleat for engaging the structural metal member at a point opposite to said tap r fl e-J 1 3,- In combination with astructural metal meme her. having a tapered flange, .tongueand groove wooden members extending across the flange, and a sheet metalcleat having a tapered recess for ti h l fi u qnu fl n; a a flange at theltopof saidcleat for, eng ement in the groove of one of the wooden membersar;

ntesml r r ne thee at foln a n below the'tongue of theadjacent wooden member, an extension, upon the cleat beyond the tapered recess therein, and an angular ear uponsaid extension adapted to be bent intm engagement with the strueturalmetal member at a pointop/posite to said tapered flangei j Russell-iii; Tomi; 

